Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí Dála a labhair aréir agus inniu faoin rún tábhachtach seo. I realise Members on all sides of the House are genuinely concerned about the needs of constituents who have lost their jobs, are having difficulty paying their mortgages and who are struggling with debts. The Government shares that concern and, as the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, outlined last night, steps are being taken to ensure people can access financial and other supports as early as possible.

Members have spoken about the delays in some areas in processing claims for jobseeker payments. While the average processing times nationally for applications in February was three weeks for jobseeker's benefit and six weeks for the jobseeker's allowance, they are significantly longer in some areas. This can make things difficult for people and I assure the House that measures are being put in place to address this issue, with the provision of nearly 266 extra staff and the introduction of more efficient and streamlined processes for deciding on claims. All of this is aimed at reducing processing times in order that people need not wait for too long.

The community welfare service can, through the means tested supplementary welfare allowance, provide people with immediate support while they are awaiting a decision on their claims. Total expenditure on the supplementary welfare allowance scheme in 2008 was €882 million, including more than €58 million in administrative costs provided to the HSE.

The community welfare officers, CWOs, are under considerable pressure in some areas. The issue of increased demand on existing resources is a matter for the HSE in the first instance to prioritise workloads and to redeploy resources where necessary so that frontline services are maintained. The Department of Social and Family Affairs is working closely with the HSE to ensure effective delivery of services and any request by the HSE for an additional staffing allocation will be given due consideration by the Department within the overall context of the Government policy on public sector numbers. The extra staff being assigned to the Department's local offices with a view to reducing processing times for jobseeker claims will help to relieve some of the pressure on the community welfare service.

The Private Members' motion also refers to the mortgage interest supplement. In recognition of the increasing number of people having difficulties paying their mortgages, the Government has increased the provision for the mortgage interest supplement from €12 million to almost €30 million in the 2007-09 period. Almost 11,000 people are in receipt of this payment, an increase of nearly 7,000 on the number in payment at the end of 2007. As the Minister stated last night, the Government is conscious of the need to ensure the mortgage interest scheme will continue to meet its objectives in the current economic environment. The scheme is being reviewed to that end.

We are determined to ensure that practical advice and support is available to people with wider debt problems. To this end, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, has more than 250 staff in 65 locations. It also operates a national telephone helpline available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday at lo-call number 1890 283 438, while the website www.mabs.ie can be accessed 24 hours per day.

In 2008, more than 16,600 new clients approached MABS for assistance with debt difficulties, with the telephone helpline dealing with almost 11,000 callers. More than 90% of callers to the helpline find that their money management and budgeting issues can be resolved with the assistance of the helpline adviser. Only an approximate 10% of callers need to be referred to the local MABS office for appointment. In 2009, almost €18 million was provided to assist MABS in dealing with its workload.

MABS is represented on the Legal Aid Board's consultative panel and the two organisations work well together. It also works closely with other organisations, such as the credit union movement, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the community welfare service and local authorities. MABS provides an invaluable support for people in helping them to re-organise their debts, reach agreements with debtors and try to avoid confrontational situations with debtors. Like me, Deputies are concerned about people going to court over debts and fines. Deputy Conlon has already outlined the position in this respect.

I would like to conclude by assuring the House that the Government is determined on every level to ensure that, in these unprecedented times, all of those in need of support receive it as soon as possible.

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